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On May 16, 2022, the Government of Mexico (GOM) published a presidential decree temporarily exempting the payment of import duties on 66 tariff lines covering staple food items and basic commodities for food processing. The tariff suspension is part of the GOM’s recently announced Program to Combat Food Price Inflation and Scarcity (PACIC).

Having pegged its nationally acceptable limit of aflatoxin in peanut at 10 parts per billion (ppb) as far back as 2018, Ghana could well be leading, and not just supporting the regional block’s preference of setting the MRL for aflatoxin in peanut at 10 ppb.

On May 5, 2022, trade and finance ministers from East African Community (EAC) member countries agreed to raise minimum common external tariffs from 25 to 35 percent on several agricultural products.

On May 16, 2022, the Government of Mexico (GOM) published a presidential decree temporarily exempting the payment of import duties on 66 tariff lines covering staple food items and basic commodities for food processing. The tariff suspension is part of the GOM’s recently announced Program to Combat Food Price Inflation and Scarcity.

Nigeria’s current 10-year Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) will end next year – likely moving on to another 10-year Phase Two Plan. The growth in sugar consumption is expected to be driven by the food processing sector.

The South African Agricultural Economic Fact Sheet has been updated to include calendar year 2021. Bilateral agricultural trad between the United States and South Africa reached record levels of US$860 million in 2021.

The Government of Mexico (GOM) has announced a program to combat food price inflation and scarcity titled “Paquete Contra la Inflacion y la Carestia (PACIC).” Along with PACIC, President López Obrador announced a plan to maintain “fair prices” for the basic food basket, through a voluntary agreement with the private sector, without the use of mandatory price controls.

Kenya’s MY2022/23 coffee production is forecast to decrease by 10 percent to 700,000 bags due to lower yields caused by reduced fertilizer application. MY 2022/23 area planted is anticipated to remain flat at 105,000 hectares as new plantings are curtailed by a shortage of coffee seeds.

FAS/Nairobi forecasts an increase in Uganda’s marketing year (MY) 2022/23 coffee production to a new record of 6.65 million bags due to favorable weather and recently established plantations coming into full production. Arabica production is anticipated to decrease by 5.2 percent to 900,000 bags due to cyclical yield variation.

South Africa is set for a record pome fruit and table grape production in marketing year 2021/22. Favorable weather conditions, new areas under production, and higher yielding cultivars is driving the growth in production.

On April 11, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development announced that the country is battling 56 outbreak cases of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) involving farms and communal areas in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West and Gauteng. According to the DALRRD Animal Health Directorate, the outbreaks currently troubling South Africa were caused by illegal movements of animals out of the FMD controlled zones in Limpopo.

Post forecasts that sugar cane production in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) will increase by 2 percent, to 5.3 million metric tons (MT) in the 2022/23 MY, based on good rainfall, increased available irrigation water, normal weather conditions, expanded planted area and consistent cane yields.